Tourism Melaka Recalls Guidebooks After French Historian Calls Out Multiple Errors
"1511 is definitively in the 16th century," said Serge Jardin.
Tourism Melaka has recalled a guidebook from all of its tourist information centres after a French historian pointed out multiple inaccuracies in its text
In a Facebook post on 9 July, Melaka-based French historian Serge Jardin highlighted errors such as stating Hang Li Poh married Sultan Muzaffar Shah instead of Sultan Mansur Shah, and incorrectly placing the year 1511 in the 15th century instead of the 16th century.
Image via Serge Jardin (Facebook)
Responding to the feedback, the state tourism department apologised and assured immediate steps would be taken to rectify the errors
In a statement on Saturday, 13 July, Tourism Melaka general manager Sa'ari Basiron said that the distribution of the guidebooks at its information centres, as well as ebooks on its social media platforms, has been halted.
He added that Tourism Melaka has requested the publisher to review and correct the errors in the guidebook, with verification from relevant agencies.
"Tourism Melaka has also demanded an apology and issued a show-cause letter to the publisher over the mistakes, which have tarnished the department's image," he said.
Image via New Straits Times
Sa'ari also said he has met with Jardin and Institut Tun Perak chief executive officer Dr Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar Lee to discuss the matter
"The parties agreed not to prolong the issue further and Jardin has expressed his appreciation for Tourism Melaka's prompt action," he said, expressing hope that such incidents would be avoided in the future.
Jardin responded positively in a comment, saying, "Happy ending! Thank you, Tourism Melaka. Action taken, books recalled, errors will be corrected, and a new guidebook will soon be at the disposal of the tourists."
Jardin had previously called out Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) for incorrectly depicting a Malay jong:
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